A U.S. military service member set himself on fire, in an apparent act of protest against the war in Gaza, outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The man was transported to an area hospital after the fire was put out by U.S. Secret Service officers, DC Fire and EMS posted online. The man remains in critical condition, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said Sunday afternoon.
An Air Force Spokesperson confirmed that the incident involved a active duty airman.
The man who was wearing military fatigues and whose name wasn’t immediately released, walked up to the embassy shortly before 1 p.m. and began livestreaming on the video streaming platform Twitch, the person said.
Law enforcement officials believe the man started a livestream, set his phone down and then doused himself in accelerant and ignited the flames.
At one point, he said he “will no longer be complicit in genocide,” the person said. He then lit himself on fire while yelling “Free Palestine!” until he fell on the ground.
The video was later removed from the Twitch platform, but law enforcement officials have obtained and reviewed a copy.
Local police and Secret Service are investigating the incident.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy said no staff were injured in the incident, and that the man was “unknown” to them.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington said its officers had responded to the scene outside the Israeli Embassy to assist US Secret Service officers and that its bomb squad had also been called to examine a suspicious vehicle. Police said no hazardous materials were found in the vehicle.
Israel’s embassy has been the target of continued protest against the war in Gaza. The war in Gaza has led to pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests in the United States. The protests started after Oct. 7 when Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that rules Gaza, killed 1,200 Israelis and seized 253 hostages in a cross-border attack.
Since then, Israeli forces have waged a military campaign against the coastal enclave, laying much of it to waste, with nearly 30,000 people dead, according to Palestinian health officials.
In December, a protester set herself on fire outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta.
@Reuters
